Bills

Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Bill

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (15:51): Introduced a bill for an act to recognise the importance of the arts, culture and creative industries in South Australia, to provide for a state arts, culture and creative industries policy, to ensure that all South Australians benefit from and can participate in the arts, culture and creativity of South Australia, and for other purposes. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (15:52): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I am very pleased to introduce the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Bill 2025. This bill marks a significant step forward for South Australia and has been designed to recognise the importance of the arts, culture and creative industries to our state.

At the 2022 election, the government committed to enshrine in law how the arts are valued and led in South Australia. The bill gives effect to this commitment and reflects our government's vision for a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable sector that contributes meaningfully to the state. Most importantly this bill ensures future governments continue to commit to the sector. When we speak of arts and culture we speak of who we are as a state and South Australia has long been renowned for its innovative leadership in the arts, culture and creative industries.

This was largely driven by the groundbreaking work of former Premier Don Dunstan who considered arts and culture to be crucial to a healthy, democratic society. In the 1970s, his government significantly increased funding to the arts as well as opened the Adelaide Festival Centre, the State Theatre Company and the South Australian Film Corporation. Don Dunstan's legacy lives on in today's arts, culture and creative industries in South Australia.

The sector is deep, broad and interlinked and includes major cultural institutions, collections, presenting companies, small-to-medium organisations and festivals, emerging and community artists through to long-established practitioners and artist-run initiatives and groups. It also includes creative start-ups and small businesses, venues and large-scale commercial enterprises.

The sector employs more than 15,000 people and contributes around $1.8 billion to our economy. Over 10,000 creative businesses operate in the state, yet we also recognise that the creative industries face unique challenges. It is clear that, to secure the future of the creative sectors, a modern legislative framework that supports growth, fosters collaboration, builds capacity and ensures access right across South Australia, is necessary.

South Australia is home to the Adelaide Festival, one of Australia's oldest international arts festivals. Our Adelaide Fringe is the second-largest annual arts festival in the world, behind only Edinburgh Fringe. The international careers of many artists, musicians, performers, writers, game developers, producers and filmmakers have been launched from our state. South Australians deeply value the sector. Every year, 96 per cent of us engage with or attend the arts and each week more than 40 per cent of South Australians participate in making art. The Australian government also recognises the value of the arts, culture and creative industries, knowing that as a nation, creativity connects us and benefits us all.

In January 2023, the Prime Minister released the National Cultural Policy—Revive, along with significant new investment in the sector. That same year, I announced the development of a landmark cultural policy for South Australia aligned with Revive and focusing on a long-term vision for the sector. Significant consultation was undertaken to develop the South Australian policy. More than 2,000 community members, artists, creative practitioners, cultural leaders, arts workers, business owners, researchers, educators and government agencies took part. This consultation clearly demonstrated that South Australians are proud of our arts, cultural and creative industries.

On 31 March 2025, the Premier and I launched A Place to Create, an ambitious 10-year cultural policy for South Australia. A Place to Create marks the beginning of a transformation for South Australian arts, culture and creativity. It presents a vision to strengthen South Australia's arts, culture and creative industries to expand access and participation and ensure the benefits are shared by all South Australians right across the state.

The bill that I introduce today, the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Bill 2025, continues our government's transformational work to build a new era for the sector in South Australia. The bill will sit above A Place to Create as an overarching framework that ensures all future governments show commitment to the sector through having a dedicated policy in place. The bill was informed by feedback received during the significant consultation that supported the development of A Place to Create in which South Australians told us:

that arts, culture and creativity make a life worth living;

that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts, creativity and cultural leadership must be prioritised and extended;

that South Australians value the health, happiness and wellbeing outcomes of a culturally connected community;

that we have a responsibility to ensure children and young people have access to and can participate in creative and cultural activities and to ensure there are pathways to embed these experiences throughout their whole lives;

that South Australians value accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring that everyone has access to cultural experiences, artistic expression and creative opportunities;

that we want people who live outside the metropolitan areas to have the same opportunities to enjoy and participate in arts and culture, and for people from all language and cultural groups to have their stories and creativity valued;

that South Australians want our diverse stories to be more visible and to be able to access them easily and affordably; and

that we want to come together around art, culture and creative activities, sharing culture across generations.

With this, the bill's primary aims are:

to recognise the importance and support the value of the arts, culture and creative industries in South Australia;

to provide for a state arts, culture and creative industries policy; and

to ensure and promote participation, diversity and inclusion of all South Australians in the arts, culture and creativity of South Australia.

The government's policy intention of this bill is to continue South Australia's proud legacy as a leader and believer in the arts, culture and creative industries, and to ensure the sector continues to evolve, grow and thrive.

I want to close by thanking all those who have contributed to the development of this bill. I commend the bill to members and seek leave to have the explanation of clauses inserted in Hansard without my reading it.

Leave granted.

Explanation of Clauses

Part 1—Preliminary

1—Short title

2—Commencement

3—Interpretation

These clauses are formal.

Part 2—Principles, objects and guidelines

4—Principles

This clause sets out the principles underpinning the operation of the Act.

5—Objects

This clause sets out the objects of the Act.

6—Guidelines

This clause empowers the Minister to publish guidelines for the purposes of the Act.

Part 3—Administration

7—Functions of Minister

This clause sets out the functions of the Minister under the Act.

Part 4—State Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy

8—State Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy

This clause requires the Minister to prepare and maintain a policy, called the State Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy, which must set out the policies of the government in respect of achieving the objects of the Act, and must also address any other matters prescribed by the regulations.

9—Consultation for State Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy

This clause requires the Minister to undertake the consultation referred to in the clause when preparing the State Policy.

10—Publication of State Arts, Culture and Creative Industries Policy

This clause requires the Minister to publish the State Policy.

Part 5—Miscellaneous

11—Interaction with other Acts and laws

This clause sets out how this Act interacts with other Acts and laws.

12—Regulations

This clause is a standard regulation making power.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.A.W. Gardner.